Barry Roche column: Vital we react well against Rochdale

Morecambe keeper Barry Roche after conceding the second of two early Southend goals.

Published:06:00Wednesday 13 November 2013

Share this article

Every week I always try to put a positive spin on the weekend’s action regardless of the result and performance.

But as hard as I try I’m finding it very very hard to find many, if any, positives from Saturday’s game.

And anybody who reads this column and saw the game would clearly know I would be talking nonsense if I was anything but honest in my assessment of the game.

To go out of a great cup competition so tamely isn’t acceptable and the gaffer let us know this in no uncertain terms.

We got off to the worst possible start and as much as we huffed and puffed we never really got ourselves into the game.

Despite what some people might say this wasn’t down to lack of effort or commitment.

We simply had a lack of quality all over the pitch on the day.

They were sharper than us in nearly every situation and we got what we deserved out of the game – absolutely nothing.

Going two goals down in any game leaves you with a huge task but against a decent side like Southend makes it that much harder.

The season as a whole has gone very well so far but we have had a couple of heavy defeats along the way – Portsmouth, Cheltenham and now Southend – but the important thing has been we have reacted pretty well in the aftermath of those games.

We have to do this again and what better way to do it than in a massive game against high-flying Rochdale on Saturday.